View Slideshow: click on the image above

6th Annual Hamilton Serves Joins Students With Community

By Holly Foster Posted August 29, 2013

The sixth annual Hamilton Serves took place on Wednesday, Aug. 28, with all 492 members of the Class of 2017 and new transfer students going out to volunteer at 57 community organizations. Hamilton Serves began as an Orientation activity in 2008 with the class of 2012.

Amy James, Community Outreach and Opportunity Program (COOP) director, explained, “We like to get the idea of service embedded early so that new students will realize how easy it is to get off the hill and reach across what might seem like a ‘great divide’ between the College - way up here on the hill - and the surrounding area.

“Service work provides an excellent backdrop for learning about almost anything,” James continued. “Issues of poverty, education, public policy, refugee populations, other cultures and perhaps most importantly, oneself. We hope that community service contributes somehow to the fulfillment of Hamilton's motto, ‘Know Thyself,’” said James.

Hamilton Serves is also beneficial to the non-profits served. “Agencies love our students,” she added. “They’re so glad for the help and I think pleasantly surprised when it comes to them en masse like this.”

Among the volunteer activities this year, members of the class of 2017 helped Kamp Kiwanis close up for the winter, performed maintenance at the Children’s Museum, played games with children at the Neighborhood Center, helped with a volunteer appreciation event at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and put together braille games and activities for clients at CABVI.